Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Fitness and Color Pump Up a Dallas Home
A Texas mom brings her work home with a fitness studio amid rooms energized with color and charm
A host of paradoxical design elements are at play in this Dallas home. Eclectic art meets traditional architecture with an unapologetic use of color to reflect homeowner Mallory Mansour Dubuclet's Louisiana roots. "I would like for people to feel they know who I am when they see my house," she says. Her contagious joy is present throughout the home.
Dubuclet built her home from the ground up with the assistance of contractor Lou Olerio of Regent Custom Homes. However, when construction ended in 2011, Dubuclet found herself at the beginning of a divorce. Instead of giving up on her dream home, Dubuclet became a personal trainer and turned her house into a new fitness business venture, Positively Fit Lake Highlands. The result is a harmonious dual-purpose home ready to nurture and nourish her young family.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Mallory Mansour Dubuclet and sons Drew, 8; Dylan, 5; and Aiden, 3
Location: Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas
Size: About 4,500 square feet; 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms
Dubuclet built her home from the ground up with the assistance of contractor Lou Olerio of Regent Custom Homes. However, when construction ended in 2011, Dubuclet found herself at the beginning of a divorce. Instead of giving up on her dream home, Dubuclet became a personal trainer and turned her house into a new fitness business venture, Positively Fit Lake Highlands. The result is a harmonious dual-purpose home ready to nurture and nourish her young family.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Mallory Mansour Dubuclet and sons Drew, 8; Dylan, 5; and Aiden, 3
Location: Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas
Size: About 4,500 square feet; 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms
SG: Who or what inspires your personal style?
MMD: My aunt, Sharon Meek, was probably the biggest design influence. She likes eclectic, funky art and pairs it with traditional furniture. I also used to be an HGTV junkie and watched a lot of Candice Olsen as I designed the house. Her rooms always feel glamorous but comfortable too.
Dining table: Freed's; dining chairs: Cost Plus World Market; red and aqua pottery: Merrial Mansour, FunkyPots of Louisiana
MMD: My aunt, Sharon Meek, was probably the biggest design influence. She likes eclectic, funky art and pairs it with traditional furniture. I also used to be an HGTV junkie and watched a lot of Candice Olsen as I designed the house. Her rooms always feel glamorous but comfortable too.
Dining table: Freed's; dining chairs: Cost Plus World Market; red and aqua pottery: Merrial Mansour, FunkyPots of Louisiana
MMD: Virginia Krejci also helped me pull the trigger on the white marble in the kitchen. I was really scared to make a big mistake by not getting granite, but she encouraged me, and I'm glad she did. I love my white marble countertops.
Island countertop: Danby Marble; backsplash tile: Vogebay
Island countertop: Danby Marble; backsplash tile: Vogebay
SG: What a groovy bar space!
MMD: I like to laugh, which is why I adore having fun surprises in the decor for people to find.
Mirror: Sharon Meek
MMD: I like to laugh, which is why I adore having fun surprises in the decor for people to find.
Mirror: Sharon Meek
SG: Where are your favorite places to shop for home goods?
MMD: Garage sales, Tuesday Morning, craft shows and festivals with local artists. My mom is a potter and painter, and my aunt is always working on projects as well. They've given me a lot of their pieces for my home, which I prefer to buying new things.
Pottery: Merrial Mansour, FunkyPots of Louisiana
MMD: Garage sales, Tuesday Morning, craft shows and festivals with local artists. My mom is a potter and painter, and my aunt is always working on projects as well. They've given me a lot of their pieces for my home, which I prefer to buying new things.
Pottery: Merrial Mansour, FunkyPots of Louisiana
The downstairs guest bedroom has a set of French doors — another nod to Dubuclet's Louisiana roots — which open onto the front porch. The room also has a private bath.
Bed: Freed's; bedding: Anthropologie
Bed: Freed's; bedding: Anthropologie
SG: What is the weirdest thing about your house?
MMD: My powder room. It's the one room in the house where everyone goes, and it is filling up with memories of my kids in the form of their photos and artwork, fortune cookie predictions and inspirational quotes.
Wallpaper: Frames, Graham & Brown
MMD: My powder room. It's the one room in the house where everyone goes, and it is filling up with memories of my kids in the form of their photos and artwork, fortune cookie predictions and inspirational quotes.
Wallpaper: Frames, Graham & Brown
SG: What is your latest splurge?
MMD: After months of sleeping on a mattress on the floor, I finally got a king-sized bed. It feels wonderful, and there is plenty of room for the boys and me to snuggle up, watch movies and have tickle fights.
Bed: The Room Store; bedding: Bed Bath & Beyond, wall paint: Gray Clouds, Sherwin-Williams
MMD: After months of sleeping on a mattress on the floor, I finally got a king-sized bed. It feels wonderful, and there is plenty of room for the boys and me to snuggle up, watch movies and have tickle fights.
Bed: The Room Store; bedding: Bed Bath & Beyond, wall paint: Gray Clouds, Sherwin-Williams
SG: What was your greatest challenge in designing your home?
MMD: The hardest part was the sheer number of decisions that had to be made and the fact that most were not made simultaneously. When picking fixtures for the bathroom, for example, I didn't yet know what the floor tile was going to look like.
Chandelier: Overstock.com; rug: Ikea
MMD: The hardest part was the sheer number of decisions that had to be made and the fact that most were not made simultaneously. When picking fixtures for the bathroom, for example, I didn't yet know what the floor tile was going to look like.
Chandelier: Overstock.com; rug: Ikea
MMD: I love having a two-cup coffee maker in my master bath. I can just roll out of bed and start brewing without having to drag my sleepy body down to the kitchen. It's the little things!
Countertops: Bianco Rhino marble
Countertops: Bianco Rhino marble
A built-in office rests at the top of the stairs and shares space with the family room. "I just can't seem to get rid of my organized piles of clutter," Dubuclet says.
The family room houses an assortment of toys, games and entertainment for Dubuclet's three sons. It also serves double duty for child care during Dubuclet's Positively Fit Lake Highlands exercise classes.
Framed Louisiana Pecan Festival posters oversee the family room, paying homage to Dubuclet's home state.
SG: What do you love most about your neighborhood?
MMD: Lake Highlands is a family-friendly community in the middle of Dallas, and I love that it has all the benefits of a suburb. With good schools, community activities et cetera, there's also easy access to the best that Dallas has to offer. I truly feel that my kids and I are getting the best possible experience of city life.
SG: What do you love most about your neighborhood?
MMD: Lake Highlands is a family-friendly community in the middle of Dallas, and I love that it has all the benefits of a suburb. With good schools, community activities et cetera, there's also easy access to the best that Dallas has to offer. I truly feel that my kids and I are getting the best possible experience of city life.
A Jack and Jill–style bathroom connects the boys' rooms.
SG: Where is your favorite spot in the house?
MMD: My personal training studio, a converted three-car garage. I started my business and converted the room from your basic cluttered and dirty garage into a warm, inviting space which fills me with joy.
MMD: My personal training studio, a converted three-car garage. I started my business and converted the room from your basic cluttered and dirty garage into a warm, inviting space which fills me with joy.
SG: What was your most recent update to the house?
MMD: I converted my dining room into a personal training space. I was sad to see my beautiful dining room go, but the reality is that I've used it only once or twice and I could use the indoor space for training individuals and small groups.
See more new uses for an old dining room
MMD: I converted my dining room into a personal training space. I was sad to see my beautiful dining room go, but the reality is that I've used it only once or twice and I could use the indoor space for training individuals and small groups.
See more new uses for an old dining room
Dubuclet's foyer greets guests with bold color and whimsical accents.
SG: If these walls could talk, what would they say?
MMD: They would say they've seen heartache and disappointment followed by hope and success. Like everyone, I've had my challenges, but I try to move forward in hope and positivity. I think my home reflects that.
SG: If these walls could talk, what would they say?
MMD: They would say they've seen heartache and disappointment followed by hope and success. Like everyone, I've had my challenges, but I try to move forward in hope and positivity. I think my home reflects that.
SG: What about the house made you realize it was "the one"?
MMD: It's the one because I built the house from scratch! I love it because it speaks to my Louisiana roots with the architectural style. The front porch, columns and magnolia tree that were already on the property remind me of homes I always admired when I was growing up.
MMD: It's the one because I built the house from scratch! I love it because it speaks to my Louisiana roots with the architectural style. The front porch, columns and magnolia tree that were already on the property remind me of homes I always admired when I was growing up.
Homeowner, mother of three and personal trainer Dubuclet enjoys a glass of wine in her living room. She offers the following advice to other homeowners: "Don't be afraid to be yourself in your design and everywhere. There are other colors out there besides beige and gray."
Houzz call: Do you live in a creative Southern-style home? Share it with us!
Houzz call: Do you live in a creative Southern-style home? Share it with us!
Mallory Mansour Dubuclet: I hired an interior designer, Virginia Krejci, for a few hours to help me with some things I didn't understand, like how to create a fireplace.
Paint: Pool Blue, Sherwin-Williams; fireplace surround tile: Voguebay